Farewell, February! Get ye gone! The first sings of spring glimmer amidst the dead winter leaves. Pandemic restrictions are so much easier to take when I can enjoy some time outdoors! How I miss working on my WIP in our backyard gazebo. Step by tiny step, spring is coming. Already, Tacoma is abloom with crocuses (croci?) and snowdrops.

Join the IWSG monthly blog hop here: http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/iwsg-sign-up.html

Once again, it’s time for our monthly blog hop at the Insecure Writer’s Support Group, a marvelous place to share the pain and pleasure of the writing biz. Check out all they have to offer here: https://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/iwsg-sign-up.html

The awesome co-hosts for the March 3 posting of the IWSG are Sarah – The Faux Fountain Pen Jacqui Murray, Chemist Ken, Victoria Marie Lees, Natalie Aguirre, and JQ Rose!

March 3 question – Everyone has a favorite genre or genres to write. But what about your reading preferences? Do you read widely or only within the genre(s) you create stories for? What motivates your reading choice?

Romance or GTFO!

I write steamy, high-realism, contemporary romance. I mostly read romance as well, though it’s important to point out that Romancelandia incorporates many other genres. There’s murdery romantic suspense ranging from cozy to high-stakes thriller, sci-fi romance, humorous romance, dark & grim romance, high fantasy romance, dystopian romance, romances ranging from YA to “seasoned,” historical romances from the Stone Age through the 20th century, paranormal romance with vampires, zombies, shifters, ghosts, demons, angels, ancient gods, plus Western romance, sports romance, love stories about every possible combination of genders, polyamorous romance, heat levels ranging from Hallmark Channel to crackling flames… There’s something for everyone under the romance umbrella.

But what about “important” literature? You know, the heavy, “artistic” stories about ennui and alienation?

I’m old-ish, y’all, and even before 2020, life had already served me many steaming platefuls of disappointment, heartbreak, and tragedy. I have no use for self-important misery porn. I can only enjoy a dark story if it comes with a guaranteed HEA–romance again! In a world that does not center women’s agency and pleasure, I prefer literature that does. And don’t give me that nonsense about romance being formulaic. The journey from first meeting to HEA works out very differently for each couple or combo. And can you honestly tell me that other popular genres like mystery, sci-fi, horror, and fantasy don’t glory in their beloved tropes? People like what they like. Don’t yuck someone’s yum.

Occasionally, I’ll step outside my romance groove to enjoy a cozy mystery, historical fiction, biography, or memoir–especially by audacious women. I also gobble lots of nonfiction about social issues, food history & culture, and miscellaneous interesting subjects, like Kory Stamper’s Word by Word: the Secret Life of Dictionaries and Lyanda Lynn Haupt’s Crow Planet: Essential Wisdom from the Urban Wilderness. Highly recommend!

And you? Do you tend to write and read in the same genre? Got any great non-fiction book recs for me?